Fischer The Curv (2017)

Got an adrenaline problem? For skiing at irresponsible speeds on the hardest, fastest snow, Fischer offers The Curv, new for 2017. For those who can handle its stiffness, edge-power, and heft, it offers all of Fischer's Austrian know-how and RC4 heritage in a racecourse-ready, high-performance GS arc machine. (Beer-league racers, take note.)
Fischer's new Curv series comprises three models with race-ready, carve-optimized waist widths ranging from 68 to 74 mm. To design them, Fischer enlisted the expertise of three of its most renowned World Cup stars: Michael Von Gruenigen, Kristian Ghedina, and Hans Knauss. The result: race-bred, high-performance, frontside weapons. The flagship model (The Curv) has a true World Cup construction-overbuilt to have no top end, even for the best skiers. It comes with Fischer's new CurvBooster WC plate (for high-speed-vibration dampening and extra leverage over the edge), Diagotex (a 30-degree carbon fiber weave for optimized torsional rigidity), two sheets of full-thickness (0.8-mm) Titanal (aluminum alloy), sandwich/sidewall construction (the edgiest, most powerful kind there is), and the same finish and base structure that Fischer's race room gives its World Cup race skis. The other two models (Curv DTX, Curv Ti) are system skis (sold with binding) that feature less aggressive constructions. All are designed for top-level frontside performance, and could easily be used for citizen racing. The Curv features a "cheater-GS" sidecut radius of 18 meters (178 cm). The Curv Ti has a slalomesque sidecut of 13 meters (at 164 cm). The Curv DTX splits the difference, at 16 meters (171 cm).
Family-owned Fischer Skis is based in Reid, Austria, where all its skis (and many of those of other brands) are built. Fischer says its factory in Reid is the second largest manufacturer of skis in the world. -J.C.